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Hickory floors matched with hickory cabinets are too busy in the kitchen because of all the colors and grains in the hickory wood. For a more appealing look, create contrast against the hickory floor by selecting painted cabinets in lighter or darker colors than the floor. Jewel-tone colors, ruby red, sapphire blue or even the golden glow of some yellows give you a nice complement to hickory floors. For a cohesive look, pull one of the colors from the hickory floor to use as the cabinet color.

The Light Side

You can opt for the crispness of all-white cabinets that create a solid contrast against darker hickory floors. But if a bright white seems too much, choose whites with tan or beige undertones to tone down the brightness. Look for shades of white such as ivory, stone, French gray, off-white or bisque for your cabinet choices. You can also choose warm neutrals to pair with the warm neutrals in the flooring, such as tan, cream, buff or even Bavarian cream.

The Dark Side

Look at your floor or take pictures of it to study its colors and to refer to when picking out cabinets. Hickory flooring comes in a variety of looks, which may include light-colored woods mixed with dark, various shades of brown or light-to-dark browns, and dark black specks, depending on the floor. Therefore, cabinets in dark gray, black or even dark brown work well against most types of hickory floor.

Bold, Standout Color

While matching the cabinets to the floor may be a tempting approach, using too much of the same wood overpowers the room. With its multiple variegations that include colors of an almost-white blond to very dark brown, grainy patterns, hickory adds warmth to the flooring or to the cabinets. But on both, it's just too much. Instead, when you have hickory flooring, cover cabinets with a bold and vibrant color, such as ruby red or dark cherry that whets the appetite without overwhelming the senses.

Cool Colors

Soft grays, tans and beiges all retreat when used on cabinets in a room with hickory floors. While warm colors appear to move toward the eye, cool colors do the opposite by retreating into the background. Soft white-tinted blues and greens recede into the background to let the room’s design features or floor stand out. Aqua, teal, blue-tinged gray and gray-tinged teal all make good color choices for cabinets paired with hickory floors.

Unifying Countertops

The type of countertops and the colors in them can help unify the cabinets and flooring in your decor scheme. A kitchen island and countertops in an almost white marble veined with gray and silver can help serve as the joining point between hickory floors and light gray or even stainless steel cabinets in a contemporary kitchen.

About the Author

As a native Californian, artist, journalist and published author, Laurie Brenner began writing professionally in 1975. She has written for newspapers, magazines, online publications and sites. Brenner graduated from San Diego's Coleman College.